Wednesday, January 19, 2005

English Cooks and French Wives

"I used to think ... that the English cook the way they do because, through sheer technical deficiency, they had not been able to master the art of cooking. I have discovered to my stupefaction that the English cook that way because that is the way they like it."

--Waverley Root, author of The Food of France, as quoted by A.J. Liebling

"When the [French] government pulled out, Root invited me to accompany him in pursuit of it in a small French automobile. 'Maybe we can find some good regional food on the way,' he said. I left France for the United States eleven days later; Root, with his French wife of the epoch and their infant daughter, followed in a month. He returned to France and spent most of his time there. The Food of France is a monument to his affection for a country as well as for its art. He has another French wife now."